See Rock City and More on Lookout Mountain

Lookout Mountain, Georgia, sitting right on the border with Tennessee on the outskirts of Chattanooga, offers a lot of things to do in a relatively small geographic area. Of course, the mountaintop city is probably best known for being the home to See Rock City.

Lookout Mountain Battlefield

Lookout Mountain Battlefield is part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, dedicated in 1895 and encompassing more than 9,000 acres of battlefields, monuments, forests and urban landscapes.

Travelers through northwest Georgia for decades have seen the iconic red barns with the words “See Rock City” painted on the roof. Each year, more than half a million people visit the attraction to enjoy the many natural splendors that abound, including a point where you can see seven states, a giant outcropping and waterfall known as Lover’s Leap, and trails winding through the rock garden to end all rock gardens with more than 400 different species of native wildflowers, shrubs, and trees. Other features include the popular Fairyland Caverns and Mother Goose Village, the Cornerstone Station, shops and restaurants. In addition, annual events such as Rock City’s Enchanted Garden of Lights during the holiday season bring in guests by the droves.

Lookout Mountain played a major role in the Civil War, assuring Union control of the Tennessee River and the railroad into Chattanooga and opening North Georgia to Gen. William T. Sherman’s advance through the South. Today, visit the 10-acre memorial park, Point Park, that overlooks the Lookout Mountain Battlefield and the city of Chattanooga. A paved walking path around the park takes visitors by several historic tablets, monuments, Confederate artillery positions, and scenic overlook. Just outside the park is a visitor center with exhibits on the Civil War campaign for Chattanooga, including a large painting “The Battle Above the Clouds.”

Crisscrossing Lookout Mountain are 30+ miles of trails for hikers to explore on the mountain.

Many of these trails are converted from old railroad beds from the late 19th century. Others were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression.

On the west side of Lookout Mountain is Cloudland Canyon State Park, one of the largest and most scenic parks in Georgia. Home to deep canyons, sandstone cliffs, dark caves, cascading creeks plunging as waterfalls into pools below, dense forest, and abundant wildlife, the park offers numerous opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Just south of See Rock City, in the Chattanooga Valley, the Lula Lake Land Trust protects more than 8.000 acres, including two exquisite natural features, Lula Lake and Lula Falls. Sixty miles of recreational trails have been built on the property for hiking, mountain biking, trail running and equestrian use. Gates are open two days per month and reservations are required.

Thrill-seekers will want to check out Lookout Mountain Flight Park’s individual and tandem hang gliding and paragliding training to help you fulfill your dreams to fly. Lookout Mountain has over 20 miles of ridge, overlooking miles of farmland, making a great site for ridge and thermal soaring.

Other Lookout Mountain attractions include Ruby Falls, America’s deepest cave and largest underground waterfall accessible to the public, and the Incline Railway, one of the world’s steepest passenger railways.

The Lula Lake Land Trust oversees and protects more than 4,000 acres around Lula Lake. The property is open to the public on the first and last Saturday of each month, 9am to 5pm.

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